Ten notable steps over ten years

"I love fool's experiments. I am always making them."
- Charles Darwin

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
- Albert Einstein

Blame Ed Arnold. Every year he admonishes. "keep writing that column!" Now, 10 years later.. the "Energy Waves" column has been around the block a few times. Combine 10 years with the New Year and this seems like a reasonable time to reflect on the scene in our rear view mirror.

Over that time frame, the initial focus of this column - energy efficiency - expanded to include building science. Some design and construction practices shifted wholesale. A few notable product switches have been widespread, while others are trying to bust out of their beachhead. A few innovative building programs stand out.

A menu mixing some of the most notable from each category appears below, listed in the approximate order they occurred. What stands out is that the rate of change over the last five years feels like twice that of the previous five years. My apology in advance for any key item that you believe was omitted from this list.

1. WINDOW REVOLUTION
Starting in 1993, the Front Range market switched from metal to vinyl windows within three years. We lagged behind the rest of the country in our timing. But once we started the switch, it happened fast. The second leg of the window revolution - the switch to low-e windows - started in the late 1990s and is ongoing.

2. PERFORMANCE TESTING
Testing both new houses and their ductwork for tightness started in early 1993 through a grant funded the Office of Energy Conservation (now the Office of Energy Management and Conservation). Rob deKieffer (Boulder Design Alliance) pioneered the effort here. But that effort didn't pick up real steam until E-Star Colorado opened its doors and issued its first energy ratings in April 1995.

Six years after his initial testing and analysis, deKieffer conducted all the testing in the nationally recognized housing performance study conducted by Fort Collins Utilities. While the way that study hit the front page caused considerable upset in northern Colorado, the negative results helped generate positive action toward better systems design and installation. Today. testing houses and ductwork for tightness happens daily.

3. LABELING AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
In December 1995, Built Green" Colorado initiated a builder program to save energy, increase efficient use of other resources (wood, water, etc.). and improve indoor air quality. U.S. Home jumpstarted that effort by committing to the program in their Colorado developments. Today Built Green", is an award-winning program with substantial builder participation, excellent industry support and significant buyer recognition.

In the late 1990s, the EPA's ENERGY STAR Homes program began to gain some recognition in Colorado, thanks to a nationwide product-labeling program that consumers learned about through their purchases of computers and other efficient appliances. On November 20, Fort Collins kicked off a new buyer education effort that will slowly move statewide; check it out at www.ColoradoNewHome-Choices.org.

4. INTELLIGENT CRAWL SPACE
In 1997, Fort Collins became the first Colorado jurisdiction specifically allowing conditioned crawl spaces by code. That progressive step predated the International Residential Code 2000. which specifies two methods for conditioned crawls that don't require cross vents to the outdoors. While at-grade crawl spaces don't cause the level of moisture problems here that they do in several other climates, our below-grade under-floor spaces are more problematic.

The recently released guidelines (see last month's column), assembled by a 15-month task force on moisture management in below-grade underfloor spaces, should help accelerate this process. So will a parallel document written in code-adoption language for building jurisdictions wherever expansive soils are present.

5. DUCTWORK EVOLUTION
Redesigning ductwork so that the HVAC system heats and cools effectively and efficiently is a work in progress with roots dating to the mid1990s. It started with the dozens of performance tests demonstrating the problem to builders. Extensive testing by deKieffer, Rich Moore and others, plus HBA-sponsored training by Dave Schrock (Comfort Air Distributing), helped pave the way.

Today, a small but growing number of builders are having their ductwork designed, not just settling for the lowest-bid approach. Despite tight margins in a tough building market, look for this trend to expand.

6. THE SYSTEMS APPROACH
In 1998, the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Building America program introduced and proved systems-engineered thinking through a collaborative effort with production builder Domega Homes in Pueblo. Three years later, Engle Homes embraced the same strategy in their development of high-performance homes. Today, systems builders include Aspen Homes of Colorado, Oakwood Homes and McStain Enterprises.

Two additional programs - Environments for Living and Engineered for Life - provide extensive systems-based design consulting and performance testing. That enables participating builders like Sopris Development the chance to offer comfort and energy-hill guarantees for their buyers.

Starting in 2004, the Colorado Built Green program offers its own version of the systems approach and there's an overview of that program in this issue. As soon as some market-distinction materials are ready to support that program, you'll hear about the new program opportunities in this column.

7. WINDOW FLASHING
Flashing around windows became commonplace during the late 1990s. But there is a tip-of-the-iceberg aspect here that the systems approach begs be expanded. This is a durability issue with potential liability associated. even in our relatively sunny and dry climate.

What happens when you flash around windows and the flashing then drains the "blow-by water" to sheathing below the window? If it's OSB sheathing, that sheathing gets wet. This is a bad thing. Water leaking around windows and doors - and it happens more than you might think- needs to be deflected by a "drainage plane." A drainage plane is a material such as building paper, house wrap or foam sheathing that will drain (instead of absorb) water. When today's window flashing is integrated shingle-style with tomorrow's drainage plane, houses stay dry. (Look for more on this subject in an upcoming column.)

8. THE IECC
In May 2000. Longmont became the first jurisdiction to adopt the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). In 2001, the Built Green program selected it as their minimum energy standard. By early 2004, most of the larger jurisdictions in Colorado will have adopted either the IECC 2000 or 2003.

While many builders dislike the energy code's impact, meeting this more stringent energy code drives builders toward energy upgrades that decrease energy bills for buyers and often improve comfort. For example, the move to low-e windows substantially improves wintertime comfort and decreases the cooling load in the typical 2,000-square-foot home by roughly one ton of air conditioning - enough to pay for most of the low-e window upgrade. Codes are also accelerating the move toward 90 percent efficient furnaces and vinyl vs. metal windows in basements.

9. WALL INSULATION SWITCH
The big shift from wall batts to blown-in and sprayed systems occurred during the last three years. Today, Allied Insulation reports more than half of their jobs use either sprayed cellulose or a blown-in fiberglass approach.

Performance testing during the mid1990s in Colorado pointed toward house tightness and coverage advantages enjoyed by the blown-in and sprayed insulation applications. That helped move some of the local market in their direction. But the real driver toward sprayed cellulose was cost savings.

More recently, the ability of dense-pack insulation to substantially reduce comfort callback problems in frequent trouble spots - floors over garages. in cantilevered floors, behind fireplaces, etc. has helped expand the use of sprayed and blown insulation beyond just walls and flat ceilings.

10. BETTER INDOOR AIR
Despite a lot of talk during the 1990s, we're still in the early stages of addressing indoor air quality. Today. a growing number of builders select power-vented water heaters as the best way to isolate the worst potential air pollutant in a home: carbon monoxide. Additionally, at least five metro-area production builders install a new controller (the AirCycler) and modified ductwork to automatically supply fresh air. Third, a large number of builders reduce indoor pollutants by selecting products that release less pollution into the home over time.

Looking down the road

What will we see over the next 10 years? Here are five items on my short list.

Low-e windows standard. I'm betting
this no-brainer happens within two years.

High level of energy efficiency. Volatile and higher natural-gas prices - up 50 percent over just the last six working days (!) will move the market.

More focus on performance. No longer satisfied with an answer to "is it there?" we move toward answering the question "does it work'?" This applies to many of the issues addressed above. A real driver here will be liability concerns.

Trend reversal on home size. For the sake of your kids and mine, this wouldn't he a bad thing. I'm hoping that within 10 years, the Denver HBA will sponsor a "Not-So-Big-House" parade, based on the book written by Sarah Susanka. She focuses on quality space vs. larger space.

Fewer basements along the Front Range. This is a wish more than a forecast. Basements used to he thought of as cheap space. On expansive soils the opposite is true. Consumers need a paradigm shift.

Keeps this for your long-term dartboard.

I hope 2004 treats you well.

Steve Andrews consults with builders for E-Star Colorado and writes on energy issues (sbandrews@att.net). E-Star (www.e-star.com), is a nonprofit home energy rating system that works with both new and existing homes statewide.

2008 Built Green Colorado

Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, 9033 E. Easter Place, Suite 200, Centennial, CO 80112
(303) 778-1400 fax: (303) 733-9440  info@builtgreen.org

Last Updated: 10/05/2007